No wildlife today, but here are some pictures of the damage from the tornado that hit the KSU campus last evening. This is a shockwave file, so it may some time to load. When it loads, just click on the image to view the next slide.

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

we've had a different looking feathered visitor in our garden. took a few weeks to get close enough to intentify it but today we pegged it as a great crested flycatcher. a first for us here on de island, mon.

had an upclose look at a bottlenose dolphin on sunday.he/she came up right at the stern of the boat and between the starboard gunnel and the outboard.it would surface (inhale/exhale rapidly) and then drop down to about a 2 foot depth and remain practically motionless, letting the boat's pressure wave drag it along.the fact that there was a stainless propeller spinning at 1200rmp 18 inches from it's head didn't seem to phase it a bit. it was close enought that you could have leaned over the transom and stuck a finger in it's blowhole if you'd been so foolishly inclined.it hung with us for about a mile and then scooted off....

i've seen a lot of dolphin but never one that close to the boat.

we also managed a close encounter with 5 spotted sea trout and 4 redfish earlier in the day.the redfish are only moments away from meeting a skillet. blackened redfish. :)

had an upclose look at a bottlenose dolphin on sunday.he/she came up right at the stern of the boat and between the starboard gunnel and the outboard.it would surface (inhale/exhale rapidly) and then drop down to about a 2 foot depth and remain practically motionless, letting the boat's pressure wave drag it along.the fact that there was a stainless propeller spinning at 1200rmp 18 inches from it's head didn't seem to phase it a bit. it was close enought that you could have leaned over the transom and stuck a finger in it's blowhole if you'd been so foolishly inclined.it hung with us for about a mile and then scooted off....

i've seen a lot of dolphin but never one that close to the boat.

we also managed a close encounter with 5 spotted sea trout and 4 redfish earlier in the day.the redfish are only moments away from meeting a skillet. blackened redfish. :)

Pisces yummicus?

--------------Lou FCD is still in school, so we should only count him as a baby biologist. -carlsonjok -deprecatedI think I might love you. Don't tell Deadman -Wolfhound

They have endless enery, are total pleasure seekers, don't know the meaning of let's rest, can drink you under a table, eat everything in sight, speak many foreign languages, eat a lot of fish, are more comfortable in water, exquisite athletes, hold their breath for a long time, firm all over, incredibly playful, not in the least bit shy or afraid of danger and a diabolical sense of humor.

I'm a bit late in reporting on this, but last Sunday I ran the Olsburg BBS (Breeding Bird Survey) route, (38-318 in the BBS database), and ended up with 69 species. This is a bit lower than in recent years; I found 77 species in 2003 and again last year.

I wanted to run it the weekend before, but the Black Vermilion River was out of its banks and a chunk of the road, about 200 ft across, was under water. So I had to wait until it dried out.

There were a couple of highlights. I added one species when I found a singing male Scarlet Tanager on Shannon Creek Road. Despite the lateness of the season, the Shannon Creek Bald Eagles were still there, thankfully. I also saw (and heard) a Song Sparrow. That was the second time I have found that species on the route; I found two Song Sparrows in 2006 in the same general area of that route. I also saw a hen Greater Prairie-chicken and 8 young-uns crossing the road at one stop. And before you ask, no, I don't have any idea why the chickens crossed the road... I had a record number of Dickcissels (111, previous high was 91 in 2006), and a record number of Cliff Swallows (131, previous high was 96, also in 2006). A lovely male Dickcissel is pictured below.

Misses included Loggerhead Shrike (not seen on this route since 2002), Red-headed Woodpecker, Black-billed Cuckoo, and Bell's Vireo.

The most interesting aspect of this year's count was a bird I hoped to see. On my scouting run up there on Saturday, I found a road-killed male Bobolink, near the Black Vermilion Marsh. It was very flat, and embedded with gravel, so I didn't bother to bring it back to KSU for the collection, but it was definitely a Bobolink. Unfortunately I found no Bobolinks there, or along the rest of the route, on Sunday...

I think that these wet years along the Blue River allow some more northerly birds like Bobolinks and Song Sparrows to trickle down here from Nebraska.

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

I have had a Nuttels woodpecker visiting for 2 days now which is very fun. They are rare here, and then mostly winter migrants. Climate change?

The sharpshinned hawk is still around too.

Thanks. That dickcissel in the picture was a bird we just banded, and my daughter was holding him. You can't see her hands, but that allowed me to use a very sharp lens (Canon 100 mm macro) on a Canon EOS 30D body.

I'd love to get a good pic of a Nuttall's Woodpecker. When I lived in California I didn't have the equipment to do that, and now that I do, I find that those birds don't make it to the Great Plains very often...

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

I need some help from the resident birders here. Last night, my wife and I were standing on our front yard observing a hawk perched ontop of one of our blackjack trees. He was mostly brownish in color, but had a white head. I've looked around some and couldn't identify what it was? Any pointers to a better site where I can look?

What was really fascinating is that we have about three pairs of barn swallows nesting in our barn and the little suckers actually ganged up on that hawk and chased it off. They are nasty little buggers.

--------------It's natural to be curious about our world, but the scientific method is just one theory about how to best understand it. We live in a democracy, which means we should treat every theory equally. - Steven Colbert, I Am America (and So Can You!)

Just got back from several days on an island in the Puget sound. We got abnormally beautiful, sunny weather that gave us a totally misguided notion of what the area is really like. Then on the last day, the other shoe dropped and it was totally overcast and gray.

Anyway, only two new birds -- several Bald Eagles, and a bajillion Northwestern Crows. I also saw a Pigeon Guillemot while out boating, but I've seen them before.

--------------"Rich is just mad because he thought all titties had fur on them until last week when a shorn transvestite ruined his childhood dreams by jumping out of a spider man cake and man boobing him in the face lips." - Erasmus

I need some help from the resident birders here. Last night, my wife and I were standing on our front yard observing a hawk perched ontop of one of our blackjack trees. He was mostly brownish in color, but had a white head. I've looked around some and couldn't identify what it was? Any pointers to a better site where I can look?

What was really fascinating is that we have about three pairs of barn swallows nesting in our barn and the little suckers actually ganged up on that hawk and chased it off. They are nasty little buggers.

What size was it? If it was a regular buteo sized bird, it was likely a red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). If you look in a standard bird book you will find a picture of a standard red-tailed hawk; the only problem with that is that you probably will never see one that looks exactly like the one in the book. They are among the most variably-plumaged birds on the planet. From here

Quote

Due to its extreme variability though, the Red-tailed Hawk can be very difficult to identify.

Here's one with a white head.

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

I walked over to a city park in town here, yesterday. I saw a pair of downy woodpeckers and one hairy. I also saw a guy at the dock catch 3 nice smallmouth bass while I was there. Nice outing, but I had to come in because it started raining.

I'm pretty sure that one variety is a scarlet tanager - and we've never seen them before, in Indianapolis. Then there are some new chickadee/finch-sized birds - is there a black-capped chickadee found in the midwest?

I'm pretty sure that one variety is a scarlet tanager - and we've never seen them before, in Indianapolis. Then there are some new chickadee/finch-sized birds - is there a black-capped chickadee found in the midwest?

Tons of gold-finches and assorted small warblers.

The cats are fascinated.

Maybe, except that Scarlet Tanagers don't eat seeds. If you had one at a seed feeder, it would be highly unusual. How large is it? A bit bigger than the Goldfinches?

How about House Finch?

I think Carolina Chickadees are more likely in Indy, according to this range map. But the dividing line between Black-capped and Carolina Chickadees is fairly fluid, and that is a relatively old map. The other pages at that USGS website linked above will help you distinguish between the two species; it is a bit tricky but it is possible if you get good looks.

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

Those are hard to find -- my sister's been in southern AZ for 8 years and still hasn't managed to see one.

--------------"Rich is just mad because he thought all titties had fur on them until last week when a shorn transvestite ruined his childhood dreams by jumping out of a spider man cake and man boobing him in the face lips." - Erasmus

Thanks for your suggestions, Dave. It does look very similar to the image above, described as Larva of Chrysoperla carnea or perhaps C. mediterranea feeding on an aphid. But there does seem to be a difference in scale as the thing I saw was about 70 - 80mm long, while the C. mediterranea in the Wiki photo must be smaller unless it is eating a giant aphid.

Those are hard to find -- my sister's been in southern AZ for 8 years and still hasn't managed to see one.

Yeah, I've got a bunch of pictures scattered across that USGS website. I wish that they would update it; in many cases I have better images now for some of those species! But, as is typical in this administration, education and outreach re wildlife has little support, budgetary or otherwise.

Trogons are not hard to see if you are in the right place. We were camping at Sunny Flat in the Cave Creek area this May, and there was a pair of trogons that visited our campground. Here's the male

and the female

Tell your sister that she just needs to camp out at Sunny Flat for a day or two!

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

Southern Arizona is really interesting for birding. My sister took me to the ONE park in the state where you're guaranteed to see Gray Hawks and I saw one flying about 20 feet over my head within 2 minutes of getting out of the car. There's only a dozen or so breeding pairs in the state, I'm told, and that's where they are. But I also saw some other birds far more easily than she found them. Stopping in Tumacacari for soft drinks, I instantly saw a Zone-Tailed Hawk. My sister was very irked since she said it took her a year of birding and deliberate searching to see one. But on the other hand I was out there for 5 days with NO Roadrunners, even tho they're not rare. My sister was baffled -- usually they're all over. It was starting to look like I'd have to leave without seeing one, til finally one ran in front of me in the parking lot of the Sonora Desert Museum, of all places. (Nice place, BTW -- if only for the fact that it's the only way you're ever gonna see Thick-Billed Parrots in Arizona.)

--------------"Rich is just mad because he thought all titties had fur on them until last week when a shorn transvestite ruined his childhood dreams by jumping out of a spider man cake and man boobing him in the face lips." - Erasmus

Southern Arizona is really interesting for birding. My sister took me to the ONE park in the state where you're guaranteed to see Gray Hawks and I saw one flying about 20 feet over my head within 2 minutes of getting out of the car. There's only a dozen or so breeding pairs in the state, I'm told, and that's where they are. But I also saw some other birds far more easily than she found them. Stopping in Tumacacari for soft drinks, I instantly saw a Zone-Tailed Hawk. My sister was very irked since she said it took her a year of birding and deliberate searching to see one. But on the other hand I was out there for 5 days with NO Roadrunners, even tho they're not rare. My sister was baffled -- usually they're all over. It was starting to look like I'd have to leave without seeing one, til finally one ran in front of me in the parking lot of the Sonora Desert Museum, of all places. (Nice place, BTW -- if only for the fact that it's the only way you're ever gonna see Thick-Billed Parrots in Arizona.)

Zone-tailed Hawks are a nemesis bird for lots of birders, so you are lucky. In my experience NM is better than AZ for seeing that one.

I have a similar story about birding luck in AZ. My youngest daughter was not quite 4 the first time we took her camping there. We were with a large group birding along the San Pedro BLM land near Sierra Vista (great place if you haven't been there). We saw lots of birds, including my lifer Botteri's Sparrow. But the target species was the Green Kingfisher, and we hadn't seen one as we were heading back to the parking lot. Naturally, since I was shepherding a four-year old and her 6 year old brother, I was bringing up the rear with the kids.

As we headed down the path toward the parking lot, Ellen stopped and said "I think that's the kingfisher". Sure enough, it was a gorgeous Green Kingfisher, sitting in full sunlight over the river about 30 yards away. We called the group back so that everyone could see it!

She hasn't quit birding since then; she's a lot better ear birder than I am, for sure!

This will be my last message for a while. I'm headed to Scotland in a few hours, hopefully to meet up with Louis sometime in August and plot the next conquests of the evil Darwinist Empire. Or maybe we'll just have a beer and haggis...

--------------Flesh of the sky, child of the sky, the mindHas been obligated from the beginningTo create an ordered universeAs the only possible proof of its own inheritance. - Pattiann Rogers

Yesterday’s fishing disadventure turned into a $250 marine mammal cruise. The conditions were perfect with the only problem a full moon. But the marine layer was very thick, and when I went on deck at 11PM, and 3AM, it was very dark. We set out lines at ~ 4:30 and the next 6 hours saw nothing but lots of water. We started fishing about 65 miles SSW of San Diego in an area that was holding fish. There were about 10 purse seiners in the area, two of them had deployed their nets. We worked a temperature break between the outer NW swell ~66F, and the south dominated inner water ~70F. The marine layer stayed solid all day. Clean water, 10 to 15 knot NW winds, plenty of flying fish. Everything was perfect- except no tuna. About 12 Noon, a tiny albacore committed suicide on a trolling feather. We let the youngest kid on-board reel it in. This was the sixth time I have not caught tuna on a targeted trip. (Sea Horse, Cherokee Geisha, Sea Horse, Admiral, Doctors Orders, and now the Pacific Star) Two trips went into gales with high seas, one I had been sick and stayed in my bunk. The trip on the Cherokee Geisha was the weirdest- people who couldn’t tie on their own hooks caught tuna but I couldn’t even get a bite.

But, we did see several pods of Dall’s porpoise who put on some great aerial displays as well as some their larger cousins, the common porpoise. The first whales we saw were two finback calves and an adult (?) mother. The adult was ~70 feet long, the light colored calves ~20-30. About 20 miles south of San Diego, just north of the Coronado Islands, we started seeing blue whales. In all we saw 7, one solo, a pair, and a quartet.

Edited by Dr.GH on July 19 2008,09:42

--------------"Science is the horse that pulls the cart of philosophy."

This will be my last message for a while. I'm headed to Scotland in a few hours, hopefully to meet up with Louis sometime in August and plot the next conquests of the evil Darwinist Empire. Or maybe we'll just have a beer and haggis...

Be sure and report back on that. I think we're all curious to know if Louis is as physically repulsive as he's rumo(u)red to be.

--------------"Rich is just mad because he thought all titties had fur on them until last week when a shorn transvestite ruined his childhood dreams by jumping out of a spider man cake and man boobing him in the face lips." - Erasmus

Found a couple of months ago (dead or dormant) under the edge of a pool cover. The larger one was about 80mm or 3" long. Could they be some kind of moth larva?

The friend who found them just reminded me I said I had an idea where I could get some info. on a science site bursting with eminent academics.

i don't think they are aquatic, and they are definitely not megaloptera (dobsonflies or their ilk).

i'd say probably a beetle larvae but my inordinate fondness for beetles does not cover the terrestrial forms. the size tends to rule out Neuroptera. there are some structural differences between the first pic and the lacewing larvae, or whatever it was that was a few posts below.

are their fleshy prolegs along the abdomen? what does the posterior end of the abdomen look like? hooks?

--------------You're obviously illiterate as hell. Peach, bro.-FtK

Finding something hard to believe based on the evidence, is science.-JoeG